The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will introduce sign languages and communication techniques that will ensure the full participation of people living with disabilities during the 2019 general elections.
The Federal INEC Commissioner and Chairman, Partnership and Outreach Committee of the commission, Dr Adekunle Ogunmola, dropped the hint in Lokoja at a one-day capacity building workshop on communication skills for desk officers in charge of people living with disabilities.
Ogunmola rued the lack of detailed and comprehensive data of people living with disabilities, the inaccessibility of some public places designated as polling units and inadequate number of trained personnel to interface with disabled persons on electoral issues.
He said the commission was determined to address some of the identified challenges.
The INEC, according to him, was also working towards prevailing on political parties to mainstream people living with disabilities into party decision making process and leadership.
Ogunmola said that the commission would, as a matter of deliberate policy, embark on recruitment of persons living with disabilities into the INEC and come up with a broad policy framework on electoral plans for them and other special group of stakeholders.
Also speaking, another Federal INEC Commissioner, Mrs. May Agbamuche, said that the electoral body would introduce form EC40H to capture information and statistics of people living disabilities in readiness for better elections.
Agbamuche stated further that magnifying glasses to aid participation of visually impaired, including albinism would be introduced to enhance inclusion of people living with disabilities into all the aspects of the electoral process.
